Culture shock: its 6 phases and characteristics

We explain how this psychological and social phenomenon associated with migration occurs.

Mobilization and cultural exchange are characteristic phenomena of human societies. They have generated, among other things, the need to rearrange the ways of relating and identifying ourselves. This rearrangement is a process that may seem simple, but which is characterized by significant experiences of astonishment, estrangement and even some discomfort, which we know as "culture shock".

In the following we will see in more detail what culture shock is, what elements make it up according to sociology and psychology, and what are the stages that culture shock goes through.and which are the stages by which it is characterized.

What is a culture shock?

The term "shock" can refer to a violent confrontation, a confrontation, an impact, a friction, or a feeling of strangeness. In this sense, a "culture shock" can be defined as a feeling of strangeness that occurs due to the confrontation between different cultures.. Being a confrontation, culture shock can be visible from different phases and can also generate psychic and social conflicts.

For example, njnjf tell us that the term culture shock also refers to the state of disorientation and frustration generated by the recognition of differences between cultures. Such recognition may involve surprise, stress, anxiety, nostalgia, anger, uncertainty, helplessness and a sense of incompetence.

On the other hand, García and Verdú (2008) tell us that culture shock is an inherent and characteristic conflict of the global context of the 21st century, which, among other things, has been distinguished by a cosmopolitan discourse that defends the advantages of globalization. has been distinguished by a cosmopolitan discourse that defends the advantages of globalization and cultural exchange. and cultural exchange. These advantages, however, converge with a series of psychosocial elements that force the internalization of new norms and values, as well as the rearrangement of imaginaries and identities.

3 characteristic elements of culture shock

Culture shock is a phenomenon that occurs at the margins of the scenario where the integration of different cultures takes place. It is therefore an experience that especially accompanies the migration process, where it is inevitable to be confronted with new forms of communication, new social hierarchies, new identities and cultural codes..

However, culture shock can occur beyond migration; for example, during the meeting of two people with different cultural backgrounds but who have shared the same group of belonging since birth. In both cases, culture shock generates firstly strangeness and secondly the need to rearrange the codes of interaction. To explain this, we will see below some elements that characterize culture shock.

1. Language and communication

It is to be expected that one of the elements that can facilitate or hinder the experience of culture shock is language. Facing a different language and the communicative difficulties that this poses is one of the factors that can make the culture shock experience more or less intense. The same can occur with non-verbal language elements such as gestures or postures or body forms that are expected in one culture and not in another.

2. Modifying the codes of interaction

Communicative encounters are mediated by different interaction codes. Thus, a person who is a native speaker of a target language does not necessarily share the integration norms of the target language, does not necessarily share the norms of integration of that place..

For the latter to take place, there must also be a negotiation of the codes of interaction. For example, roles, ways of speaking or moving around, ways of greeting or saying good-bye, thanks, manners and space transit norms, among others.

3. Identity

This ultimately has an impact on the process of individual and collective identification, that is, on the ethnic identity of origin, which necessarily articulates with the behavioral expectations of the destination culture.

The people involved modify through communicative encounters their own representation of themselves. In addition to linguistic and communicative competences, this representation includes tastes includes tastes, desires, interests, lifestyles, and ways of life.. It also has to do with a process of rearranging the imaginaries of both the society of origin and the society of destination.

Culture shock in the migration process

As we have said, culture shock is a phenomenon that occurs almost inevitably in the migration process. Therefore, it is in this context that different studies have been developed from sociology and psychology. García and Verdú (2008), for example, speak of 7 stages that are characteristic of the culture shock surrounding the migration event.

Specifically, these stages have to do with the evolution of the imaginary of the society of reference and the society of belonging of the migrant person:

1. Idealization

At the beginning there is a utopia about international migration; where fantasy images about migratory processes (which have to do with the idea of "better opportunities" and "trying one's luck") are articulated, with the imaginaries of the society of origin, which are generally negative..

Frustration

A stage of disillusionment or frustration follows, where the initial illusions or aspirations are confronted with the exclusion systems and the real difficulties for integration.

3. Homesickness

A phase of idealization of the place of origin follows, which is characterized by a process of longing for relatives or friends and of the codes that are part of the communicative encounter of reference.

4. Fusion

After the idealization and before the permanence in the place of destination, the process of maintaining certain cultural practices of one's own, and at the same time incorporating practices of the society of belonging occurs.

5. Solidarity

The aforementioned converges with new survival strategies, which consist of creating migratory support networksoften centered on the nuclear family. At the same time there is a process of psychological adaptation and cultural learning of knowledge and skills that are necessary for socialization.

6. Settlement

As an outcome, it becomes visible the need to articulate the feeling of stability in the host society (with the permanence of both positive and negative aspects), and its correlate that often goes in the opposite direction in the country of origin.